Using external sounds to alert vehicle occupants of external events and mask in-car conversations

ABSTRACT

An audio processing system may selectively identify certain environmental sounds and playing back these sounds, or a representation of these sounds, in the vehicle&#39;s cabin. The audio processing system may filter the environmental sounds to identify a particular sound that matches an event such as a bouncing ball, squealing tires, footsteps, and the like. The audio processing system may then provide an audio alert to an occupant in the vehicle. For example, the system may process the identified sound (e.g., amplify and/or isolate the sound) and use a speaker to output the processed sound into the interior of the vehicle. In another embodiment, the audio processing system may use environmental sounds as an audio masking sound for creating privacy zones within the vehicle. The audio processing system may filter the environmental sounds to identify a continuous sound which is then output to generate the privacy zones.

BACKGROUND

Many vehicle manufactures design their vehicles such that environmentalnoise (e.g., road noise) is dampened before reaching the cabin (i.e.,the vehicle's interior). To dampen or prevent external environmentalnoise from reaching the cabin, a vehicle may use passive techniques(e.g., noise dampening materials and designs) and/or active techniques(e.g., noise cancellation system, active noise control, and the like).In fact, many manufactures advertise the quite ride of their vehiclesprovided by using the passive and/or active techniques for reducingcabin noise.

Reducing cabin noise, however, is not selective. That is, the passive oractive techniques attenuate the various environmental audioindiscriminately. Sounds that the driver or passengers may want to hearare attenuated just as much as sounds that the occupants do not want tohear. Accordingly, reducing cabin noise by attenuating all environmentalsounds may have a detrimental effect on an occupant's drivingexperience.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a vehicular audiosystem comprising an audio detector configured to sense ambient noiseexternal to a vehicle. The system also includes an audio processingmodule configured to receive one or more signals representing theambient noise from the audio detector and filter the ambient noise toidentify an event corresponding to at least one sound within the ambientnoise. Furthermore, the at least one sound is generated by the event.The audio processing module provides an alert associated with the eventto an occupant of the vehicle.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method forprocessing ambient noises external to a vehicle. The method includesreceiving one or more signals representing the ambient noise andfiltering the ambient noise to identify an event corresponding to atleast one sound within the ambient noise. Furthermore, the at least onesound is generated by the event. The method also includes modifying atleast one auditory characteristic of the at least one sound to enhancethe ability of an occupant in the vehicle to identify the eventassociated with the at least one sound. The modified sound is thenoutput on a speaker in an interior of the vehicle.

Another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a computer programproduct for processing ambient noises external to a vehicle. Thecomputer program product includes computer-readable program codeconfigure to receive one or more signals representing the ambient noiseand filter the ambient noise to identify an event corresponding to atleast one sound within the ambient noise. Upon determining an alertingmode is active, the program code provides an alert associated with theevent using the speaker. The program code also filters the ambient noiseto identify a continuous sound within the ambient noise and processesthe continuous sound into a masking sound. Upon determining a maskingmode is active, the program code provides the masking sound using thespeaker to generate a privacy zone within the interior of the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle with an audio processing system forselectively identifying predefined environmental noises;

FIG. 2 illustrates a system for identifying external sounds events;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for using an identified sound to alert a vehicle'soccupant of an external event;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for alerting a vehicle's occupant of an externalevent based on the speed of the vehicle;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for identifying and providing a continuous soundto a vehicle's occupant;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for providing an alert and/or a masking sound to avehicle's occupant.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in oneembodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments withoutspecific recitation. The drawings referred to here should not beunderstood as being drawn to scale unless specifically noted. Also, thedrawings are often simplified and details or components omitted forclarity of presentation and explanation. The drawings and discussionserve to explain principles discussed below, where like designationsdenote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although a goal of many car manufactures is to reduce the amount ofenvironmental or external noise that penetrates into the interior of thevehicle, indiscriminately attenuating environmental sounds may interferewith the desired experience of a vehicle's occupant. Instead, thepresent disclosure includes techniques for selectively identifyingcertain environmental sound and playing back these sounds, or arepresentation of these sounds, in the vehicle's cabin. In oneembodiment, a vehicle audio processing system may filter theenvironmental sounds to identify a particular external sound thatmatches an event such as a bouncing ball, squealing tires, footsteps,and the like. The audio processing system may then provide an audioalert to an occupant in the vehicle. For example, the system may processthe identified sound (e.g., amplify and/or isolate the sound from otherenvironmental sounds) and use a speaker to output the processed soundinto the interior of the vehicle. In another example, the audioprocessing system may provide a spoken warning (e.g., “a child isplaying near the right side of the car”) or an audio warning (e.g.,beeps or a siren). In this manner, the audio processing system mayselectively identify which environmental sounds are relevant to thevehicle's occupant and provide an audio alert to the occupant.

In another embodiment, the audio processing system may use environmentalsounds as an audio masking sound for creating privacy zones within thevehicle. For example, an occupant in the rear of the vehicle may desireprivacy when talking on the phone or when speaking to another occupant.To prevent the driver from being able to hear the other occupant'sconversation, the audio processing system may identify a continuoussound within the environmental sound surrounding the vehicle. A“continuous sound” is any repetitive or consistent sound that issuitable for masking purposes. Identifying continuous sound from theenvironmental sound may be better than simply generating artificialwhite noise or by rolling down a window. For example, white noise maynot work where the occupant (e.g., the driver) is close to the speakeroutputting the sound and rolling down the window exposes the cabin tothe external weather. Instead, the audio processing system may filterthe environmental sounds to identify a continuous sound—e.g., the windrushing past the car, weather elements such as rain, engine noise, tirenoise, sounds from nearby cars, and the like—and output the continuoussound at a level and/or controlled directionality that prevents oneoccupant from being able to hear the conversation of another occupant.

FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle 100 with an audio processing system forselectively identifying predefined environmental sounds. As shown,vehicle 100 includes one or more audio detectors 105 (e.g., microphones,transducers, and the like) and one or more speakers 110. If multipleaudio detectors 105 are used, they may be placed at different locationson the vehicle 100 (e.g., respective sides of the vehicle, under thevehicle, top of the vehicle, within the engine, and the like). Althoughthe audio detectors 105A and 105B are shown on the exterior surface ofvehicle 100, this is not a requirement. In other examples, the audiodetectors 105 may be recessed such that they are not viewable—e.g.,within the engine compartment or between a door and the frame of thevehicle. Regardless of the particular position chosen, the audiodetectors 105 may be arranged to detect ambient sounds originating fromevents external to the vehicle. An external event may be single event(e.g., squealing brakes or a yell), a periodic or an intermittent event(e.g., footsteps, human conversation, a bouncing ball, etc.), or acontinuous event (e.g., rain, wind, a running engine, etc.).Additionally, the audio processing system may detect events that occurwithin the vehicle itself. For example, the audio detector 105 may sensea sound generated when there is a problem with the vehicle's engine or aflat tire. As such, the sound (or sounds) associated with the eventoriginate at the event, or are generated by the event, rather than beinga reflected acoustic signal (e.g., a signal used when performingultrasonic range finding) where the acoustic signal is generated at adifferent location than the event the signal detects.

The audio processing system may evaluate the different sounds or noisedetected by the audio detectors 105 in order to identify eventsassociated with the sounds. Non-limiting examples of environmental soundassociated with these events includes people speaking, such as a groupof pedestrians approaching a pedestrian crossing, a police officer orconstruction worker who regulates the traffic giving a command, theacoustic signal (e.g., beeping) from a pedestrian crossing trafficlight, sound emitting from bikes or balls, weather events such as hail,lightning, wind or rain, and the like. As shown here, the audiodetectors 105A may detect the sound of a bouncing ball 115, a child'svoice 120, and footsteps 125. Each of these sounds 115, 120, 125 mayhave different characteristics that the audio processing system cancorrelate to a specific event. The audio processing system may evaluatethe frequency of the sounds, periodic patterns within the sound,identify speech, and the like in order to correlate the sounds 115, 120,and 125 to respective events. In this manner, the audio processingsystem assigns a specific event to the sounds—e.g., that sound 115 is abouncing ball or sounds 125 are footsteps—and/or categorizes the soundsas a single, periodic, or continuous sounds. As such, the sound (orsounds) associated with the event originate at the event, or aregenerated by the event, rather than being a reflected acoustic signal(e.g., a signal used when performing ultrasonic range finding) where theacoustic signal is generated at a different location than the event thesignal detects.

The audio detectors 105 may be placed in different locations in order todetermine a direction of the sound event from the vehicle 100. Forexample, both audio detectors 105A and 105B may sense the sound of thefootsteps 125. However, because audio detector 105B is closer to theevent than audio detector 105A, the sound sensed by detector 105B mayhave a greater amplitude than the sound sensed by detector 105A. Inaddition, the sound sensed by detector 105A may arrive later than thesound sensed by detector 105B. As such, the audio processing system maydetermine that the child making the footsteps (i.e., the sound event) islikely on the right-side of the vehicle 100 (relative to the view shownin FIG. 1). In addition to direction, the sound sensing system maycompare sounds sensed by at least one of the audio detectors 105 toestimate the distance from a sound event to the vehicle 100. Forexample, if the footsteps becomes increasingly louder (i.e., theamplitude of the detected sound increases), the audio processing systemmay determine that the sound event is approaching the vehicle 100. Usingmultiple audio detectors 105, the audio processing system may estimatethe distance of the sound event relative to the vehicle 100. That is, bydetermining at what time the sound from a particular sound event reachesthe respective audio detectors 105, the audio processing system mayidentify the distance from the detectors 105 and the sound event. To doso, the audio processing system may use any suitable acoustic rangefinding technique.

After processing or isolating the various environmental sounds, theaudio processing system may identify one or more relevant sounds—i.e.,sounds deemed relevant to the occupant. For example, the audioprocessing system may deem the sound of the bouncing ball 115 as beingrelevant to the occupant while a bird chirping is not. The processingsystem may then use the speakers 110A and 110B to provide an audiooutput that corresponds to the relevant sound. For example, the audioprocessing system may transmit an amplified version of the bouncing ballsound 115 which alerts a vehicle's occupant to look out for a ball. Inother embodiments, the system may also provide a directional indicatorof the sound and/or a distance from the vehicle 100 to the sound event.For example, the system may provide an audio warning that there is achild playing ten feet away on the driver's side of the vehicle.

In another embodiment, the audio processing system may filter throughthe ambient sounds to identify a continuous sound that is suitable as amasking sound. For example, the repetitive or consistent sound that thevehicle's tires make rubbing on the road may be identified by the audioprocessing system which, after processing, plays back the processedsound using the speakers 110. The audio processing system may adjust theamplitude of the continuous sound such that one occupant of the vehicle100 (e.g., the driver) cannot hear the conversation of another occupantin the vehicle. In this manner, the system may generate privacy zones inthe vehicle 100 may using the continuous sounds identified from theenvironmental sounds sensed by the audio detectors 105. In addition, theprivacy zones may also be used to mitigate distractions to an occupant.If, for example, a driver does not want the sounds made by otheroccupants to harm his ability to concentrate, the driver may activate aprivacy zone which creates a distraction-free zone where the sounds mayby other occupants are drowned out by the masking sound.

The speakers 110 may be arranged anywhere in the vehicle 100 such thattheir audio output is heard by occupants within the vehicle 100.Accordingly, the speakers 110 may be visible to the occupants (e.g.,incorporated into in-ear speakers, headphones, or mounted on a headrest,roof, side panel, or) or invisible to the occupants (e.g., embedded in adash or within a seat). Moreover, the audio processing system may usethe same speakers used by the vehicle's audio system (e.g., a radio, CDplayer, DVD player, etc.) which may reduce the cost of implementing theaudio processing system. In one embodiment, the speakers 110 arespecifically designed to provide audio output to one of the occupants(e.g., the driver). For example, if the audio processing system uses thespeakers 110 to provide processed sounds that correspond to relevantevents, the speakers 110 may be arranged such that the driver isguaranteed to hear these sounds so she can take preventative action toprevent harm to the vehicle 100, its occupants, and objects/humans inthe environment. Similarly, if the system is configured to providemasking sounds based on detected continuous sounds, the speakers 110 maybe arranged to form privacy zones for one or more occupants in thevehicle 100. Nonetheless, the speakers 110 may also provide the audioalerts or the masking sounds to other occupants in the vehicle.

The speakers 110 may provide directional information to the occupantwithout a specific spoken prompt. That is, if the event occurs at therear of the vehicle 100, the speakers 110 may provide the sound suchthat the occupant perceives the sound as originating from the rear ofthe vehicle. To do so, the speakers 110 may be arranged in a specificway and/or use a directional audio technique (e.g., 3D sound) in orderto convey directional information to the occupant when playing back theprocessed versions of the external sounds.

The audio processing module may also convey to the occupant the distancefrom the vehicle to the event when playing back the associated with theevent. For example, as the event moves closer to the vehicle, the modulemay increase the volume of the sound being played back. Moreover, theaudio processing module may use the volume of the played back sound toindicate an importance of the event. That is, even though a soundassociated with a first event may be louder than a sound associated witha second event, the audio processing module may artificially emphasizethe second event by either not playing back the sound from the firstevent or processing the sounds such that the sound of the second eventis louder than the processed sound of the first event when output intothe vehicle's interior. For example, the first event may be a dogbarking on the other side of the street which may be louder than abicyclist approaching the rear of the vehicle (the second event).Because the second event may have a greater importance than thefirst—e.g., the bicyclist may be closer to the vehicle than the dog—theaudio processing module may emphasize the sound of the second event andde-emphasize the sound of the first event. To prioritize the events, theaudio processing module may use any number of factors such as the typeof the event, distance of the event from the vehicle, direction of theevent, movement of the event, and the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system for identifying external sounds events andproviding a corresponding audio output. The vehicle 100 includes acomputing device 205 as well as at least one speaker 110 and audiodetector 105. The computing device 205 includes a processor 210 whichmay be a general purpose processor or a specialized processing element(e.g., an ASIC) capable of performing the functions described in thisdisclosure. The computing device 205 also includes a memory 215 whichmay include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or both. Examplesinclude RAM, Flash memory, hard disk, cache, and the like. The memory215 includes an audio processing module 220 which may receive theenvironmental sounds sensed by the audio detectors 105 and, based onidentified sounds, provide an audio output to an occupant within thevehicle 100 using speakers 110. The audio processing module 220 may be asoftware application, firmware, hardware, or some mixture thereof. Thelogic that may be performed by the audio processing module 220 will bedescribed below.

The computing device 205 also includes a network adapter 225 whichenables the computing device 205 to communicate with a network. Forexample, the network adapter 225 may enable the computing device 205 toconnect to the Internet using a WiFi, cellular, or Bluetooth® connection(Bluetooth is a trademark owned by the Bluetooth Special InterestGroup). As will be discussed in greater detail below, the audioprocessing module 220 may use the network adapter to receive updates orprovide information that may be useful to other audio processing module220 when providing alerts or masking sounds to occupants in a vehicle.

Providing an Audio Alert to an Occupant

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of method 300 for using an identified sound toalert a vehicle's occupant of an event. In this case, the audioprocessing module evaluates the ambient sounds received by the audiodetectors to determine whether an audio alert should be provided to anoccupant of the vehicle. At block 305, the audio detectors (e.g.,microphones) mounted on the vehicle detect ambient sounds from theenvironment surrounding the vehicle. This raw data may include a mixtureof different environmental sounds. To identify sounds of interest orrelevant sounds, at block 310, the audio processing module filters thedetected audio to isolate and evaluate the various sounds. For example,the ambient sounds may include sounds resulting from weather conditions(e.g., rain), engine noise, a child playing near the car, animals, andthe like. The audio processing module may evaluate the ambient sounds tofilter and identify a particular sound of the various sounds in theambient sounds. Generally, the audio processing module may performauditory scene recognition in order to associate a particular event witha particular sound in the ambient sounds.

In one embodiment, the audio processing system may determine if onesound matches a predefined sound. For example, the audio processingmodule may evaluate the characteristics of the ambient sounds(frequency, amplitude, repetitive patterns, etc.) to identify aparticular sound within the audio. A basketball bouncing on pavement maygenerate a sound with different characteristics than a bird chirping ora moving bicycle. By identifying the characteristics of the soundswithin the ambient sounds, the audio processing module may then comparethose characteristics with characteristics of known events. If thedetected characteristics match the known characteristics, the audioprocessing module may identify the events associated with the differentsounds—e.g., a bouncing basketball, a chirping bird, moving bicycles,etc.

In one embodiment, the predefined characteristics of the events may bestored in the memory of the computing device discussed in FIG. 2. Forexample, the characteristics may be stored in a database or table whichthe audio processing module then accesses to match the detectedcharacteristics to the characteristics stored in the memory. Thecharacteristics may match if they are similar to the characteristicsstored in the memory. To determine if the characteristics of thedetected sounds are similar to the characteristics of the known sounds,the audio processing module may use one or more thresholds or matchingcriteria. That is, because the sound of a basketball bouncing will varydepending on the specific surface of the street, amount of air in theball, the material of the ball, etc., the audio processing system mayuse the thresholds or matching criteria to determine if the measuredcharacteristics are close enough to the predefined characteristics toassert that the detected sound is indeed a basketball bouncing. Thethreshold and criteria could be the specific frequency spectrum of anevent or audio fingerprinting criteria that analyzes energy peaks intime-frequency domain. In another example, the audio processing modulemay include a voice recognition application for detecting human voices.If the application identifies a human voice (e.g., a child laughing),then the audio processing module may deem the associated sound as arelevant event.

In this manner, the audio processing module may evaluate the varioussounds in the ambient sounds to identify the sources of the sound (i.e.,an event associated with the sounds). In one embodiment, the audioprocessing module may assign a weight to the identified events. That is,the audio processing module may assign an importance to each of thepredefined events such that they can be compared. For example, abouncing ball may have a different weight than a child near the vehicle.The weights associated with the events may be predefined. However, inone embodiment, the audio processing module may alter the weight basedon a distance or direction of the event relative to the vehicle.Initially, a weight associated with a child may be higher than theweight associated with a bouncing ball; however, if the child is muchfurther from the vehicle than the ball, the audio processing system maychange the weights such that the weight associated with the child is nowless than the weight associated with the ball. Similarly, the audioprocessing system may be aware of the vehicle's current or futuredirection. If the vehicle is backing up or in reverse, the audioprocessing module may increase the weight associated with eventsoccurring in the rear of the vehicle. In one embodiment, the audioprocessing module uses the weights to select which sound to playback inthe interior of the vehicle. However, this is not a requirement as theaudio processing module may playback each of the sounds that areassociated with a plurality of identified events.

The audio processing module may also use the weight to determine if theevent is relevant to the vehicle's occupant. For example, the audioprocessing module may identify an event from the ambient sounds but theevent may be far away from the vehicle (e.g., sirens in the distance).Accordingly, the audio processing module may adjust the weightassociated with an event based on its estimated distance from thevehicle. If the weight does not meet a predefined minimum value, theaudio processing module may deem the event as not relevant to theoccupant and not play back its associated sounds as an alert. However,the audio processing module may continue to reevaluate the ambientsounds and increase the weight associated with the event as the sourceof the sound moves closer to the vehicle (e.g., the siren approaches thevehicle).

Of course, the factors described above may be used without weighting inorder to prioritize the environmental sounds. That is, the audioprocessing module may consider individually or in combination the typeof the event, distance of the event from the vehicle, speed at which theevent is approaching the vehicle, direction of the event relative to thevehicle, and the like. Based on any one of these factors or acombination thereof, the audio processing module may selectivelydetermine which of the events are relevant to the vehicle's occupant.For example, instead of weighting the events, the audio processingmodule may use the factors as thresholds. So long as an event meets thethresholds associated with one or more of the factors (e.g., the eventis (1) within ten feet of the vehicle and is (2) moving closer to thevehicle) the processing module may deem the event as relevant to thevehicle's occupant.

At block 315, the audio processing module modifies a characteristic ofthe sound associated with an identified event before playing the soundin the interior of the vehicle. For example, the audio processing systemmay isolate or clean-up the sound associated with an event. Doing so maybetter enable the occupant to quickly identify the event (i.e., becomeaware of the event) and choose the appropriate reaction—e.g., braking,swerving, slowing down, looking in the direction of the event, etc. Theaudio processing system may process the sound to sharpen the sound,amplify the sound, change frequency distribution, and the like. Forexample, the audio processing system may identify that a nearby car iscurrently traveling in the vehicle's blind spot and amplify the sound ofthe vehicle in order to alert the driver of the car. In another example,the audio processing system may identify footsteps of a person near thecar, but because the person may be walking on gravel or grass, thefootsteps are muffled. As such, the audio processing module may sharpenthe sound to make the sound associated with the footsteps morepronounced and identifiable to the occupant.

In one embodiment, the audio processing system may select a uniform,predetermined sound that represents the event. That is, the audioprocessing system may use the same sound to represent the event even ifthe sounds of the event are different. As explained earlier, the soundmade by a bouncing basketball differs based on any number of factors.However, regardless of the actual sound made by the bouncing basketball,the audio processing system may use a pre-recorded sound associated witha bouncing ball rather than piping the actual detected sound of thebasketball from the outside. Doing so provides the occupant withadditional predictability since the sound associated with an event isalways the same.

At block 320, the audio processing system plays back the selected audio(e.g., processed audio of the actual event or predetermined sound) intothe interior of the vehicle using the speakers shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 asan alert to the occupant. In one embodiment, the audio processing modulemay output the sound from the speakers so the original direction of theevent, relative to the vehicle, is preserved (e.g., left, right, front,rear, up, etc.). For example, the speakers may create a surround soundenvironment where the audio processing module may play back the selectedaudio using the speakers to correspond to the direction the originalsound was sensed by the audio detectors at the exterior of the vehicle.Using the speakers to setup a surround sound environment is notnecessary, however, to convey the relative direction of the event to theoccupant. Instead, the audio processing module may use 3D audio effectsthat convey direction to an occupant using only one or two speakers.However, in other embodiments, the audio processing module may notconvey direction of the event when playing back the audio alert to theoccupant. For example, the audio processing module may use the speakersassociated with a built-in radio or media player to play the selectedaudio to the occupants in the car without attempting to convey thedirection of the event to the occupants.

In one embodiment, the system detects an external environment andrecreates that environment inside the vehicle cabin in varying degrees.That is, selected aspects (e.g., selected sounds) of the externalenvironment can be recreated with respect to frequency, amplitude,location, and the like. Moreover, the audio processing module may filterout the sounds that are not associated with relevant events (e.g., roadnoise or unidentifiable sounds). Alternatively, the external sound canbe completely recreated thereby effecting a 3D extension of the externalsound environment in the cabin.

In one embodiment, the audio processing module may play back theprocessed sound after receiving some indication from the occupant. Forexample, the module may not output the sound of a car in the vehicle'sblind spot until the driver indicates that she wants to changes lanes,e.g., once the driver turns on her blinker.

Of course, the audio processing module may play back sounds that theoccupant would be unable to hear even if a vehicle's door was open or awindow was rolled down. For example, the audio processing module maydetect a sound that is too attenuated for detection by human ears, evenif the sounds were not dampened by the vehicle. In this case, the audioprocessing module may process the sound (e.g., amplify the soft sound)and play the artificially amplified sound using the speakers. In thismanner, the audio processing module may alert the occupant of events shewould otherwise be unable to detect, even if her window was rolled downor the door was open.

Although the embodiments above describe the alert as an auditory alert,it is not limited to such. Instead, the alert may be only a visual alertthat may be displayed on heads-up-display or on one of the windows inthe vehicle that warns an occupant about the event or describes theevent.

In one embodiment, the audio processing module may be able to learn inorder to improve its ability to identify relevant events. In oneexample, the occupant of the vehicle may provide feedback to the audioprocessing module when an event was identified but was eitherincorrectly categorized or not relevant to the occupant, or if an eventrelevant to the occupant occurred but was missed by the audio processingmodule. As an example of the formal situation, the audio processingmodule may mistake the sound from a dog barking repeatedly as a bouncingball and play back the dog bark into the interior of the vehicle. Theoccupant may use a voice command or a user-interface element (a buttonor touchscreen) to inform the audio processing module that sound was nota bouncing ball. In response, the audio processing module may refine thethresholds or matching criteria associated with identifying the bouncingball event to exclude a repetitive dog bark. Alternatively, the audioprocessing module may have correctly identified the event associatedwith a sensed sound but the event may not be relevant to the occupant,e.g., the module may have detected police siren but the occupant mayprefer not to have those sounds played back into the car. Thus, theoccupant may inform the audio processing module that these events arenot relevant.

As an example of when the audio processing module may have missed anevent, the occupant may notice a bicyclist approach the vehicle but theoccupant may not hear the sound being played back through the speakers.As such, the occupant may use a user interface to instruct the audioprocessing module that the previous sound sensed by the audio detectorsshould have been played back into the interior of the vehicle. Inresponse, the audio processing module may save the sound sensed by theaudio detectors immediately before receiving the user's command (e.g.,the last ten seconds of audio). The module may use the recorded sound todefine a new event in memory and define thresholds for matching thesaved sound to future sounds sensed by the audio detectors.

The audio processing module may also expand the number of relevantsounds by communicating with other audio processing modules eitherdirectly or indirectly. For example, the audio processing module maydetect a sound immediately before the vehicle is in an accident.Although the audio processing module may not have been able to correlatethe sound to any known event, the module may add an event based on theassumption that the sound was related to the accident. Using the networkadapter, the audio processing module may upload the informationregarding the event to other audio processing modules or to a centralrepository where other audio processing modules may download the event.In this manner, the audio processing module may learn from theexperiences of other modules and expand its list of relevant events.

In one embodiment, the vehicle may include video cameras that provideimages of the environment surrounding the car. In this case, thecomputing device may include a video processing module that works intandem with the audio processing module to identify relevant eventsoccurring in the environment. By combining the auditory and visualinformation, the system may be able to more accurately identify relevantevents. In addition, the visual information may provide a moredefinitive direction and/or distance estimate of the event relative tothe vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for alerting a vehicle's occupant of an externalevent based on the speed of the vehicle. In method 400, the audioprocessing module may alter the output audio based on the speed of thevehicle. Method 400 begins after block 310 of FIG. 3 where the audioprocessing module has identified at least one event by filtering theambient sounds associated with the environment surrounding the vehicle.At block 405, the audio processing module determines whether the currentspeed or velocity of the vehicle exceeds a predefined threshold. Forexample, the audio processing module may be communicatively coupled to acomputing device that monitors the speed of the vehicle. The audioprocessing module may query this computing device to determine if thevehicle speed is above or below the threshold.

If the speed is above the threshold, method 400 may proceed to block 315and continue as explained above—e.g., the audio processing module playsback a processed version of the identified sound or a predeterminedsound representing the event. However, if the vehicle speed is not abovethe threshold, at block 410, the audio processing module may identify aspoken description of the event. That is, instead of playing back thesound associated with the event, the audio processing module may outputa description of the event using words—e.g., “A person is approachingthe car” or “A moving bicycle is near the car.” The speed threshold maybe set such that audio processing module has time to provide thedescription of the event and the occupant has time to react. Forexample, audio processing module may use a spoken description of theevent to alert the occupant if the vehicle is traveling at speeds lessthan 15 miles per hour. At these low speeds, the occupant may haveenough time to process the spoken description and react to the event.

In one embodiment, the system may use other parameters besides speed todetermine whether to provide a spoken description of the event or toprovide the actual sound of the event. For example, the audio processingmodule may consider the speed of the event (e.g., the rate at which theevent is approaching the vehicle), an estimate time of impact, ordistance of the event from the vehicle. The audio processing module maycompare a combination of these parameters (along with the speed of thevehicle) to predefined thresholds or just one or more of theseparameters for determining when to provide either the spoken descriptionor the actual sound to the occupant.

The spoken description may also include the distance or direction of theevent relative to the vehicle. Moreover, the distance and directionestimates may be combined to identify a 3D point or location of theevent relative to the vehicle. The direction could be relative to a sideof the car (e.g., “A car is in the driver's side blind spot” or “Anemergency vehicle is approaching from behind”) or a cardinal direction(“A bicyclist is approaching from the North”). In addition, thedescription may include a speed associated with the event—e.g., “A childis running towards the vehicle” or “A bicyclist is approaching on thepassenger side of the car at 10 miles per hour.” The spoken descriptionmay also include a suggested action or command such as “A child isapproaching, hit the brakes now!” or “Do not change lanes”.

In one embodiment, the length of the spoken description may changedepending on the speed of the vehicle or the speed associated with theevent. For example, as the vehicle approaches the threshold, the audioprocessing module may shorten the descriptions so provide the user withadditional time to react. For example, when the vehicle is stationaryand a bouncing ball approaches the vehicle, the audio processing modulemay state “A ball is rolling towards the left side of the vehicle.” Whenthe vehicle is near the speed threshold of block 405, the module mayonly state that “A ball is rapidly approaching.” Similarly, if the eventis approaching the vehicle rapidly, the audio processing module may alsoshorten the audio description to provide the occupants more time toreact. At block 415, the audio processing module outputs the identifieddescription of the event using the speakers described above.

Although method 400 illustrates either playing back a sound associatedwith the event if the speed is above the threshold and outputting aspoken description is less than the threshold, in other embodiments, theaudio processing module may do both. For example, even if the speed ofthe vehicle exceeds the threshold, the audio processing module mayprovide a brief description of the event when playing back the processedaudio, or provide a processed version of the sound if the vehicle'sspeed is below the threshold. Doing so may enable the occupant toidentify the event earlier, and thus, react quicker than if only one ofthe techniques for alerting the occupant was used.

Providing a Masking Sound to an Occupant

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for identifying and providing a continuous soundto a vehicle's occupant. Generally, method 500 identifies a continuoussound from the ambient sounds to provide a privacy zone (or adistraction-free zone) in the vehicle. The continuous sound may be usedto create the privacy zones without the need of white noise generatorsor sound dampening barriers that physically separate parts of theinterior. When white noise is output from speakers close to an occupant(e.g., within a few feet of the occupant), the effectiveness of thewhite noise for blocking other noise is reduced. Thus, in small spacessuch as the interior of a vehicle, white noise generators may not beeffective as, for example, using continuous sounds occurring naturallyto create privacy zones. Sound dampening barriers, on the other hand,are expensive and may be cost prohibitive for many vehicles.Accordingly, using continuous sounds identified from the surroundingenvironment may be a more effective and add less cost to the vehiclethan the previously discuss methods for creating privacy zones. Doing somay also be preferred over rolling down a window since this exposes thecabin to external weather.

At block 505, the audio detectors sense various sounds in theenvironment surrounding the vehicle. This raw data may include a mixtureof different environmental sounds. At block 510, the audio processingmodule may filter the detected audio to isolate and evaluate the varioussounds. For example, ambient sounds may include sounds resulting fromweather conditions (e.g., rain), engine noise, a child playing near thecar, animals, and the like. The audio processing module may evaluate theambient sounds to filter and identify a particular sound of the varioussounds in the ambient sounds. Specifically, in this embodiment, theaudio processing module may search the ambient sounds for a continuoussound that is suitable as a masking sound. The audio processing modulemay then use the continuous sound to create one or more privacy zones.

The continuous sound may be any repetitive and/or constant sound that issuitable for masking other sounds. Examples of continuous sounds includerain, noise from tires and engines, wind, and the like. The audioprocessing module may monitor the ambient sounds to identify particularsounds with attributes that indicate the sound is a continuoussound—e.g., a repetitive pattern, constant amplitude, or the type offrequencies in the signal. If the sound matches these predefinedattributes, the module may categorize the sound as a continuous sound.

At block 515, the audio processing system may process the continuoussound by, e.g., identifying a segment of the sound, changing theamplitude, sharpening the sound, and the like. For example, the audioprocessing system may increase the amplitude of some frequencies in thesound but reduce other frequencies to form a continuous sound that ismore even which may make the sound more desirable as a masking sound. Inone embodiment, the audio processing system may include microphones inthe interior of the vehicle to sense sounds made by the occupants. Theaudio processing module may then change the amplitude in response to thesounds made by the occupants. For example, the audio processing modulemay use the interior microphones to process the continuous sound suchthat it will mask the conversation of the other occupants. Thus, even ifthe occupants in the back of the vehicle are having a loud conversation,the audio processing module can adaptively process the continuous soundto mask the conversation from an occupant in the front of the vehicle.

At block 520, the audio processing module plays back the processed,continuous sound. The audio processing module may, in one embodiment,continually sense the continuous sound from the environment, process thesound, and output the process sound as a masking sound. Alternatively,the module may identify a segment of the continuous sound (e.g., a tensecond segment) which it then loops (repeats) to generate the maskingsound. Thus, if the continuous sound stops—e.g., the rain fades or thevehicle stops—the audio processing module may still provide the maskingsound. One advantage, however, of continually providing theenvironmental sound (rather than repeating a loop of the sound) is thatthe cognitive load will be lower the more the masking sound matches thesounds in the environment—i.e., the masking sound is more realistic tothe occupant. Additionally, attempting to use the environmental soundmay make the masking effect so subtle that the driver is not aware ofits existence. This is more likely achievable if the masking sounds areactually from the real environment—i.e., in sync with what the occupantsees in the environments such as a gust of wind with rain striking thecar. Moreover, using the environmental sounds may mix continuous soundsfrom the environment to generate the masking sound—i.e., the sound ofrain as well as the sound of tires on the wet road—which make themasking sound more realistic.

In one embodiment, the audio processing module may be coupled to a userinterface that receives verbal or physical commands from an occupant foractivating the privacy zones. For example, when desiring privacy, anoccupant in the back seat may activate the masking sound, e.g., using abutton or voice command, which creates a privacy zone in the back seat.Of course, the same masking sound may be used to generate multipleprivacy zones in the car. For example, front passenger seat may also bea privacy zone where the driver and any passengers in the back cannothear the front passenger's conversation (and vice versa).

The speakers in the interior car may be arranged in any fashion in orderto generate one or more privacy zones by outputting the masking sound.For example, the speakers may be located in a headrest, be earpiecesworn by an occupant, or surround an occupant that is to be excluded fromthe conversation. Moreover, the audio processing system may bepreconfigured or customized to generate a masking sound suitable for theparticular arrangement of speakers in the vehicle. For example, theaudio processing system may need to output a louder masking sound togenerate a privacy zone for a passenger in the back seat if the speakersare in front of the driver than in the speakers were between the driverand the back seat passenger—e.g., in the driver's headrest. In thismanner, the audio processing module may be configured to generateprivacy zones for any number of different sound speaker arrangements.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for providing an alert and/or a masking sound to avehicle's occupant. Generally, method 600 illustrates examples of anaudio processing module that may provide an alert to the user of anexternal event or a masking sound to generate one or more privacy zoneswithin the vehicle. At block 605, the audio detectors (e.g.,microphones) mounted on the vehicle detect ambient sounds from theenvironment surrounding the vehicle. This raw data may include a mixtureof different environmental sounds. To identify sounds of interest orrelevant sounds, at blocks 610 and 615, the audio processing modulefilters the detected audio to isolate and evaluate the various sounds.For example, ambient sounds may include sound resulting from weatherconditions (e.g., rain), engine noise, a child playing near the car,animals, and the like. The audio processing module may evaluate theambient sounds to filter and identify a particular sound of the varioussounds in the environment.

At block 610, the audio processing module may perform auditory scenerecognition in order to associate a particular event with a particularsound in the ambient sounds. In one embodiment, the audio processingsystem may determine if one sound matches a predefined sound. Asdiscussed in FIG. 3, the audio processing module may evaluate thecharacteristics of the ambient sounds (frequency, amplitude, repetitivepatterns, etc.) to identify a particular sound within the audio. If thedetected characteristics match the known characteristics, the audioprocessing module may identify the events associated with the differentsounds—e.g., a bouncing basketball, a chirping bird, moving bicycles,etc.

Once an external event is identified, at block 620, the audio processingmodule determines whether the modules is currently set in the alertingmode—i.e., if the alerting mode is active. The mode may be set by theoccupant or be set based on predefined criteria. For example, theoccupant may have her window rolled down and does not need (or want) theaudio processing module to play back the identified ambient sounds. Inother embodiments, the audio processing module may activate ordeactivate the alert mode automatically—i.e., without user input. Forexample, the audio processing system may include an audio detector inthe interior of the car that determines how much the environmentalsounds are attenuated by the vehicle. If the environmental sounds arestill detectable by the occupant (without any play back), the audioprocessing module may deactivate its alert mode. For example, a siren ofan emergency vehicle may be loud enough to penetrate the vehicle'sinterior, and thus, the audio processing module may automaticallydeactivate its alert mode.

If the alert mode is not active, method 600 may return to block 605 tocontinue to filter the ambient sounds. However, if the alert mode isactive, method 600 may advance to, e.g., block 405 of FIG. 4 todetermine how to provide the alert to the occupant. For brevity, thedetails of FIG. 4 will not be repeated here. Generally, method 600 maycombined with any technique for providing the alert to the occupants ofthe vehicle.

At block 615, the audio processing module filters the detected audio toidentify a continuous sound that is suitable as a masking sound. Asdescribed above, the continuous sound may be any repetitive and/orconstant sound that is suitable for masking other sounds. Examples ofcontinuous sounds include rain, noise from tires and engines, wind, andthe like. The audio processing module may monitor the ambient sounds toidentify particular sounds with attributes that indicate the sound is acontinuous sound—e.g., a repetitive pattern, constant amplitude, type offrequencies, and the like. If the sound matches these predefinedattributes, the module may categorize the sound as a continuous sound.The audio processing module may then use the continuous sound to createone or more privacy zones.

At block 625, the audio processing module may determine if it iscurrently in the masking mode. If the masking mode of the audioprocessing module is not active, method 600 may return to block 605 tocontinue to filter the ambient sounds. However, if the masking mode isactive, the audio processing module provides a masking sound to anoccupant based on the identified continuous sound. For example, method600 may advance to block 515 of FIG. 5 where the continuous sound isprocessed and played back to the occupant as discussed above.

Method 600 illustrates that the audio processing module may be in boththe alerting mode and masking mode simultaneously—i.e., the module mayprovide an alert and a masking sound in parallel using the speakers inthe vehicle. Accordingly, the audio processing module may filter theambient sounds to identify external events as well as continuous sounds.Of course, a detected sound may be both a continuous sound and anindication of an external event. For example, while on an interstate,the sounds made by a car that is the blind spot of the vehicle may bethe basis for generating an alert as well as a masking sound. Moreover,the alert and masking sounds can be intended for the same occupant ordifferent occupants in the vehicle. For example, the audio processingmodule may use speakers that are closest to the driver for providing thealert but use other speakers to create a privacy zone around a passengerusing the masking sound.

In another embodiment, the alerting mode and masking mode may bemutually exclusive in that the audio processing module may be only inone of the modes, but not both, at any given time. In this case, method600 may be altered such that the audio processing module selectivelychooses, based on its current mode, between filtering the ambient soundsto identify external events as shown in block 610 and filtering theaudio to identify a continuous sound as shown in block 615.

The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presented forpurposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variationswill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the described embodiments.

Aspects of the present embodiments may be embodied as a system, methodor computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the presentdisclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software,micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardwareaspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,”“module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure maytake the form of a computer program product embodied in one or morecomputer readable medium(s) having computer readable program codeembodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent disclosure may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present disclosure are described above with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of thedisclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in anon-transitory computer readable medium, for example, that can direct acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devicesto function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored inthe computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture includinginstructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

Embodiments of the disclosure may be provided to end users through acloud computing infrastructure. Cloud computing generally refers to theprovision of scalable computing resources as a service over a network.More formally, cloud computing may be defined as a computing capabilitythat provides an abstraction between the computing resource and itsunderlying technical architecture (e.g., servers, storage, networks),enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool ofconfigurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned andreleased with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.Thus, cloud computing allows a user to access virtual computingresources (e.g., storage, data, applications, and even completevirtualized computing systems) in “the cloud,” without regard for theunderlying physical systems (or locations of those systems) used toprovide the computing resources.

Typically, cloud computing resources are provided to a user on apay-per-use basis, where users are charged only for the computingresources actually used (e.g. an amount of storage space consumed by auser or a number of virtualized systems instantiated by the user). Auser can access any of the resources that reside in the cloud at anytime, and from anywhere across the Internet. In context of the presentdisclosure, a user may access other processing modules or new relevantevents or continuous sounds (e.g., events or sounds added by other audioprocess modules) or related data available in the cloud.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While the preceding is directed to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may bedevised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scopethereof is determined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicular audio system comprising: an audiodetector configured to sense ambient sounds external to a vehicle; andan audio processing module configured to: receive one or more signalsrepresenting the ambient sounds from the audio detector, process theambient sounds to identify an event external to the vehicle andcorresponding to at least one sound within the ambient sounds, whereinthe at least one sound is generated by the event, and provide an alertassociated with the event to an occupant in the vehicle.
 2. Thevehicular audio system of claim 1, wherein identifying the eventcomprises: comparing the at least one sound in the ambient sounds withpredefined sounds each having a predefined association with a respectiveevent, and upon determining the at least one sound substantially matchesone of the predefined sounds, correlating the at least one sound to therespective event associated with the matched predefined sound.
 3. Thevehicular audio system of claim 1, wherein providing the alertcomprises: processing the at least one sound to change a characteristicof the at least sound, and outputting the processed sound using aspeaker configured to output sound into an interior of the vehicle. 4.The vehicular audio system of claim 1, wherein providing the alertcomprises outputting a spoken description of the event using a speakerconfigured to output sound into an interior of the vehicle.
 5. Thevehicular audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio processing moduleis further configured to: compare a current speed of the vehicle to athreshold speed; upon determining the current speed is above thethreshold speed: process the at least one sound to change acharacteristic of the at least sound, and output the processed soundusing a speaker configured to output sound into an interior of thevehicle; and upon determining the current speed is below the thresholdspeed, output a spoken description of the event using the speaker. 6.The vehicular audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio processingmodule is further configured to: process the ambient sounds to identifya continuous sound within the ambient sounds; process the continuoussound into a masking sound; and provide the masking sound using aspeaker configured to output sound into an interior of the vehicle togenerate a privacy zone within the interior of the vehicle.
 7. Thevehicular audio system of claim 1, wherein the event is external to thevehicle and the audio processing module is further configured to:determine at least one of a distance of a direction of the eventrelative to the vehicle based on the at least one sound within theambient sounds, wherein the alert is provided in manner to convey thedirection or the distance of the event to an occupant in the vehicle. 8.A method for processing ambient sounds external to a vehicle, the methodcomprising: receiving one or more signals representing the ambientsounds; processing the ambient sounds to identify an event correspondingto at least one sound within the ambient sounds, wherein the at leastone sound is generated by the event; modifying at least one auditorycharacteristic of the at least one sound to enhance the ability of anoccupant in the vehicle to identify the event associated with the atleast one sound; and outputting the modified sound on a speaker in aninterior of the vehicle.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:comparing the at least one sound in the ambient sounds with predefinedsounds, and upon determining the at least one sound substantiallymatches one of the predefined sounds, correlating the at least one soundto the event associated with the matched predefined sound.
 10. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the modified sound is an alert to indicate tothe occupant that the event is proximate to the vehicle.
 11. The methodof claim 8, further comprising: processing the ambient sounds toidentify a continuous sound within the ambient sounds; processing thecontinuous sound into a masking sound; and providing the masking soundusing the speaker to generate a privacy zone within the interior of thevehicle.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein modifying the at least onesound at least one of sharpens the at least one sound and amplifies theat least one sound.
 13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:processing the ambient sounds to identify a plurality of eventscorresponding to respective sounds within the ambient sounds; assigninga weight to each of the events based on predefined criteria; andselecting one or more of the respective sounds to output to the occupantbased on the weights assigned to each event.
 14. The method of claim 13,further comprising: selecting at least two of the respective sounds tooutput to the occupant; and modifying the characteristics of the tworespective sounds differently based on the assigned weights.
 15. Acomputer program product for processing ambient sounds external to avehicle, the computer program product comprising: a computer-readablestorage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith,the computer-readable program code configured to: receive one or moresignals representing the ambient sounds; process the ambient sounds toidentify an event corresponding to at least one sound within the ambientsounds; upon determining an alerting mode is active, provide an alertassociated with the event using the speaker; process the ambient soundsto identify a continuous sound within the ambient sounds; process thecontinuous sound into a masking sound; and upon determining a maskingmode is active, provide the masking sound using the speaker to generatea privacy zone within the interior of the vehicle.
 16. The computerprogram product of claim 15, wherein identifying the event comprises:comparing the at least one sound in the ambient sounds with predefinedsounds, and upon determining the at least one sound substantiallymatches one of the predefined sounds, correlating the at least one soundto the event associated with the matched predefined sound.
 17. Thecomputer program product of claim 15, wherein providing the alertcomprises: processing the at least one sound to change a characteristicof the at least sound, and outputting the processed sound using thespeaker.
 18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein providingthe alert comprises outputting a spoken description of the event usingthe speaker.
 19. The computer program product of claim 15, thecomputer-readable program code configured to: compare a current speed ofthe vehicle to a threshold speed; upon determining the current speed isabove the threshold speed: process the at least one sound to change acharacteristic of the at least sound, and output the processed soundusing the speaker; and upon determining the current speed is below thethreshold speed, output a spoken description of the event using thespeaker
 20. The computer program product of claim 15, thecomputer-readable program code configured to: determine at least one ofa distance of a direction of the event relative to the vehicle based onthe at least one sound within the ambient sounds, wherein the alert isprovided in manner to convey the direction or the distance of the eventto an occupant in the vehicle.